10 Questions with ... Lynn Barstow 

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

My first real gig was an AM country daytimer in Bellville, Texas, where I literally threw a big switch to turn off the station upon finishing my shift at 6pm; later KKYS/Bryan, TX; KWIC/Beaumont, TX; KRGY/Rio Grande Valley, TX; KNNC/Austin; KGDE/Omaha; KMYZ and KTSO/Tulsa, and back in Austin at KROX.

1.How many years have you been at 101X now and what are you most proud of? 

It'll be 18 years on 4 Jan!  I guess I'm most proud that after 26 and a half years, 101X is still a viable brand in a turbulent radio world.

2. In 2021, you had several changes on the station's on-air lineup. Give us the rundown and the impact of these changes.

Since winter, '21, we've added Emily Svahn from our promo staff to the morning show cast; she's made great progress as a talent in the year and a half since, and is a star in the making. She's now also contributing to the afternoon's CJ Morgan show, along with the show's namesake, longtime staffer Spenny The Intern (Spencer Williams) and some input from Matt Bearden, who's one of the anchors of our Classic Rock morning show, too. Matt's been a staple for ages on the Austin comedy scene, so it's not as brand-confusing as it might appear.

3.  What daypart are you seeing the most growth on the station? 

Overall station performance was miserable during peak pandemic as white-collar Austin stayed home; that's improved a ton. The new morning show is way up, while PM Drive has been a success from pretty much the moment we built a personality-driven show there. Over the first 10 months of the year, both shows have been top-5 on average, A25-54. Over the same period last year, they were 10th and 12th, respectively.  So…a tie?

4.  A few years ago you told me the station was "straight-up-the- middle Alt." How much has that changed and how would you describe the sound and texture of 101X today?

To create a little room on the spectrum for our AAA and a fairly new Hot AC, we've shifted to include some Active Rock sounds, while not ignoring the heritage of the station and some of the great new music product that we would've always played. Gorillaz, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Death Cab's latest offerings are all presently in subpower; exciting new artists like Wet Leg are also playing full-time.   

5.  When I run a Mediabase GRC Analysis on the station it shows 101X is 30% Current, 5% Recurrent, and 65% Gold. Explain the philosophy behind the breakdown and why you have so few Recurrents.

You'll probably find us even more conservative if you analyze M-F 6a-7p. Couple factors at work here: we just endured a couple of years during which many format staples weren't delivering product at all, so many format chart "hits" during that time just weren't sticky; also, the additional PM Drive talk displaced the least-familiar music. Currents and recurrents were always played sparingly in the morning; that's true now in PM Drive as well. That leaves my midday shift as the bastion for delivering newer sounds—and even there we're calling on music from nearly three decades of 101X to pepper our "Request Lunch" with sounds that were on the station dating to its earliest days; those slots, too, are coming at the expense of new songs.

6.  How would you describe yourself as a programmer? 

LOL, I'm still an imposter, working with folks far more talented than me. The Morning X's Jason Dick & Nick Hajda and PM Drive's CJ are just immensely creative.

7.  What's it like working with Bob Sinclair?

Bob's a whirlwind!  He's a smart guy who's on top of things; he will act on hunches to shake things up when the recipe feels stale. The Bearden contribution to the PM Drive show was all him—now Matt's successful on both KLBJ and KROX.  Bob loves radio. He wants Austinites working on Austin radio stations; we feel pretty lucky in that regard, as we hear stories of empty and/or downsized workspaces across town.

8.  What is a typical workday like for you?

AM show & market listening at home and during 25-ish minute commute; air shift, a daily word (sounds spiritual or something; isn't.) with Jason & crew, assortment of meetings, more air shift, a hi-how-are-ya with the PM crew, + nuts'n'bolts (music calls, scheduling; visits with Promo/Sales, scripts, planning) stuff after lunch.

9.  What is your favorite part of your job? 

Always talented people!  Sometimes great music. 

10. How do you use social media? 

On a personal level, I'm most frequently on—with a love/hate relationship (mostly hate) with—er…" Austin's own" Twitter.

What are weekends like for you? 

I'll usually put in a couple of Saturday hours at the office, doing an air shift and/or assembling my all-British new music show, UKTX.  Otherwise, I do sports on TV, a good run or two, yard work, what I'm told.

Favorite food? 

My prisoner's last meal would probably be prime rib.  I like all the things, though.  Except potato salad. Gross.

Favorite drink? 

A crisp IPA.  Or a porter. Or a cab.  Or a Diet Pepsi.

What are your favorite restaurants in Austin? 

We've been particularly COVID-shy for a while now at my house, so I don't know that some of my faves are still around! Not-awkward takeout & patio dining have been my thing for the last couple of years. I'm partial to the near-the-station Hank's & the near-the-house beer joint Hopfields (the menu is kinda French country). I also live in far southeast Austin, making Lockhart BBQ an easier destination than anywhere downtown. We do a rotation, but I think Black's is my fave.

How often do you get back home to Houston?

It's been since pre-pandemic, honestly.  So, not very... 

What made you decide to grow your hair again?  

Well, there was no reason for haircuts there for a while. Significant other liked the curls when it did grow out.  I'm pretty meh about the whole thing.

Favorite new band over the past year? 

Wet Leg.